The porn, in an odd way, has told the story of Iraq's security and political situation since Saddam Hussein's ouster in 2003. It emerged in the anything-goes atmosphere that erupted in the vacuum immediately following the U.S. invasion — then went back into hiding amid the anarchy when armed militias roamed the capital through 2008, targeting those they saw as immoral.

Now, he argues, porn is back, in part because the new government has better things to do than hunt it down. The story focuses on DVD sales — perhaps because a year ago, Iraqi communications officials cracked down on websites they deemed pornographic or excessively violent. Sale of porn is banned in nearly every country in the region except Lebanon, Israel, and Turkey.

Advertisement

El-Tablawy also provides some impish close reading of what's available:

In a nod to the politically elusive dream of Arab unity, Hanoun carries a collection entitled "Cheap Meat."
"It's got Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese girls," he says. "All the Arabs."
But, in an ironic symbol of the difficulty with which Arabs have had coming together, the DVD gets stuck in a loop in the first five minutes.

The reference to "cheap meat" goes over this writer's head (why not halal meat?). But two can play this game of close-reading the kinks around this part of the world and the yet-to-be-unraveled American entanglement with it. And drawing out some political lessons too!

Some of what's available in English (an admitted limitation) seems like the nighttime imaginings of a Bush administration true believer, for all of its Orientalist fantasies of oppressed Muslim women. One (NSFW) site advertises its videos as such:

After being oppressed for so long by her country, when this girl was finally free, she went wild! Just like when parents are overprotective of their children... the first chance the kids get to be bad, they do everything you tell them not to do! Wait until you see how freaky this sexy Arabic chick is! You will love it!

Its so sad that in most Middle Eastern countries, the women cant even show their face! The world is missing out on a lot of beauty because of their cultural differences! Check out this hot arabic girl for instance! She has a beautiful face, and before she ran away from her country, she couldnt show it off! Watch these videos to see the her arab pussy riding a huge cock!

At least one "Arab porn star," Aaba bin Sheikh, isn't actually from a Muslim country — Monica Mattos, who performs under that alias, is from Brazil. This is apparently a widespread enough problem that MuslimPornStars.com devotes itself to factchecking who is a "real" Arab in porn:

Unlike many of the sites we came across, MuslimPornStars.com is aimed at fellow believers. "No Porn for Muslims during Ramadan!!!" it warns. "Please Leave this site Immediately if you are Muslim Brother." Politics help sweeten the deal: one star is "currently funding a website that is promoting Palestinian cause. She is really big in Bangladeshi community, where she is well respected for her dedication to Islam and Allah. She is also well respected among the pussy and ass lovers for her dedication to sexual fantasy."

The site also expounds on the virtues of women being veiled — in porn. "Just like people love public sex for the element of surprise, getting a blowjob from a girl covering her face under a burka gives you the thrill of who the sexy chick is or how she looks." There's even some thanks-for-the-liberating rhetoric here: "While in Iraq, she couldn't express herself sexually but in America she has the capability of doing so."